Track the evolution of major financial and economic events
QRG Capital Management increased its stake in Bank of America by 8.6%, bringing its total holdings to $43.24 million. QRG Capital also raised its positions in Goldman Sachs by 1.6% and Philip Morris by 21.7% during the first quarter. On the same day, Osborne Partners grew its stake in Pool Corporation by 33% as the company announced a $600 million share buyback plan. On July 8, Bank of America provided a $520 million credit line to OpenAI after previously deeming the firm too risky.
Strs Ohio trimmed its stake in Lockheed Martin by 4.6% in the first quarter of 2026, selling 2,725 shares while retaining 56,316 shares valued at approximately $34 million. Despite weaker-than-expected quarterly results, Lockheed Martin maintained its full-year 2026 EPS guidance. Additionally, K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc. reduced its stake in Lockheed Martin by 95.2%, and Burney Co. cut its stake by 16.4% during the same period.
PrimeEnergy Resources maintained a debt-free balance sheet and strong profitability, positioned to benefit from sustained high commodity prices. However, merger proceedings faced setbacks as the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission voided a $400 million investment and imposed penalties. Meanwhile, Parex Resources completed its acquisition of Frontera's upstream assets, with guidance projecting a significant production increase by Q3 2026 following the integration.
On July 4, HF Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Amazon.com, Inc. by 11.9% in Q1, reaching a total of 22,690 shares, with the total value of the group's holdings in Amazon at approximately $4.73 million. Amazon reported strong earnings with an EPS of $2.78 and revenue of $181.52 billion. On July 6, Louisbourg Investments Inc. raised its stake in Amazon by 14.1% during the first quarter. On July 7, Amazon plans to raise at least $25 billion through a U.S. dollar bond sale, aiming to use the proceeds to fund its significant investments in artificial intelligence.
On July 3, REE Automotive received a delisting determination from Nasdaq due to failure to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement. On July 6, REE Automotive will delist from Nasdaq following a failure to meet the minimum bid price requirement. Trading of the company's shares is scheduled to be suspended effective July 7. On July 7, Blink Charging has formally requested an additional 180-day compliance period from Nasdaq to meet the $1 minimum bid price requirement.
Delta Air Lines is expected to surpass earnings estimates in its upcoming financial report according to analyst indicators. Analysts forecast Delta Air Lines EPS at $1.49 with revenue of approximately $17.47 billion. However, Zacks estimates a potential 31.4% decline in earnings due to higher labor costs despite revenue growth. Delta Air Lines is scheduled to report earnings ahead of the opening bell Friday, and traders are anticipating a significant move in the airline's stock price following the results.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average reached its 21st all-time closing high of 2026 on July 3. The index is up 10.1% year-to-date, marking its best first-half performance since 2021. On July 5, the Dow reached a record high following weak payroll data. On July 7, the Dow crossed the 53,000 mark for the first time, driven by financials and increased tech exposure.
SK Hynix plans to list American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) on Nasdaq at $166 per share. The company saw a 198% year-over-year revenue surge in Q1 2026, with an operating margin exceeding 70%. It aims to raise $29 billion for aggressive capital expenditures, including new fabs and U.S. expansion. SK Hynix is considering an underwriting fee of 0.5% for its massive upcoming share offering in the United States. Additionally, SK Hynix's Korea-listed shares and Micron stock have gained approximately 700% over the past 12 months.
Arista Networks has raised its AI networking sales target to $3.5 billion for the current year, with its campus networking segment projected to reach $1.25 billion. The company achieved 35% revenue growth driven by rising cloud demand and its specialized AI portfolio. New Etherlink platforms are further positioning the firm for expansion within the AI infrastructure market. Additionally, technology company Trimble is reportedly seeking to sell a business division through Goldman Sachs.
On July 3, MasTec reported a project backlog of $20.3 billion, strengthening visibility for future revenue growth. On July 7, MasTec announced a definitive agreement to acquire Electrical Specialists, Inc., d/b/a The Superior Group, which focuses on critical infrastructure and data centers, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. On July 8, MasTec announced a $1.65 billion deal to acquire Superior Group to expand its data center electrical capabilities, with the acquisition expected to boost revenues, EBITDA, and EPS starting from 2026 onward.
Firan Technology Group (FTG) is set to release its Q2 financial results on July 8, 2026, with analysts projecting revenue of $37.95 million. To strengthen its supply chain, the company opened a new aerospace facility in Hyderabad, India, as a low-cost alternative to China. During the same period, PMGC Holdings merged AGA Precision into A&B Aerospace, and the British Columbia Securities Commission revoked a cease trade order against FOBI AI.
Following the collapse of the merger with Albertsons, Kroger was forced to reassess its consolidation strategy. On July 3, antitrust regulators blocked Kroger's consolidation efforts. On July 7, Kroger announced its acquisition of the Giant Eagle supermarket chain for $1.65 billion to strengthen its presence in Midwestern markets. On July 8, the deal was confirmed as an all-cash transaction worth $1.65 billion.
On July 3, the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio reduced its stake in Procter & Gamble by 4.5% during the first quarter, selling over 31,000 shares while maintaining a position valued at $95.4 million. The company reported mixed quarterly results, with earnings beating estimates while revenue missed, despite a 7.4% year-over-year sales increase. On July 4, QRG Capital increased its stake in P&G by 16.7%, bringing its total holding value to $49.44 million.
Mining Americas Inc. commenced trading its common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) effective July 3, 2026, and its shares were delisted from the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) in conjunction with its graduation to TSX. On July 6, Magna Mining announced a C$140 million strategic investment from Alpayana, which will hold an approximate 19.9% equity stake in Magna Mining upon closing. Additionally, Goldgroup Mining received the final order from the British Columbia Supreme Court approving the plan of arrangement and merger with Gold Resource Corporation, with the merger arrangement expected to close on or about July 17, 2026, subject to the satisfaction of remaining closing conditions.
On July 3, Caesars Entertainment expanded its digital gaming partnership with Wabanaki Nations in Maine by adding three new iGaming platforms. The company faces a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) rating due to reduced earnings estimates and concerns over substantial debt. On July 6, Caesars announced it would not host a Q2 earnings call due to its pending merger agreement with Fertitta Entertainment. Caesars' stock will be delisted from NASDAQ, and the company will become a private entity upon completion of the merger, valued at approximately $17.6 billion.
Citi raised its price target for Currys PLC from 168p to 184p and maintained a 'buy' rating following the retailer's reported adjusted pre-tax profit of £191 million. Separately, the bank noted that Associated British Foods' completed acquisition of Hovis may modestly impact 2027 earnings. Additionally, Citi reiterated a 'buy' rating on Weir Group PLC despite trimming its price target to 3,150p, citing value following a recent sell-off.
F&V Capital Management initiated new stakes in The Boeing Company and Devon Energy, valued at $7.7 million and $9.48 million respectively. Meanwhile, Denmark's defence ministry announced the purchase of two P-8A Poseidon aircraft from Boeing. Additionally, Philippine Airlines is set to order 15 Boeing 787-10 jets, marking its first purchase from the manufacturer in nearly two decades.
Pluxee shares rose after third-quarter organic revenue fell by 3.3%, performing better than the 4.3% decline anticipated by analysts. Meanwhile, Children’s Place stock dropped following the company's decision to draw $15 million from its credit facility. Additionally, ME Group reported an increase in revenue for the first half of the 2026 fiscal year.
On July 3, a new report focused on analyst upgrades for Uber stock and the company's key growth metrics. The analysis addressed Uber's market position and industry trends impacting the stock's valuation. On July 5, Uber paused its food delivery expansion plans in Europe to focus on a potential deal with Delivery Hero. On July 7, a total of 85,553 Uber options contracts were traded, and the total open interest for Uber Technologies reached 1.15 million contracts.
FirstEnergy Corp is focusing on regulated electric utility operations and grid modernization to ensure stable returns. On July 3, AES Indiana announced plans to replace approximately 70,000 legacy streetlights with LED units by 2026. On July 7, FirstEnergy Corp began a multi-year investment cycle aimed at enhancing grid reliability and modernizing infrastructure.
Blackstone's private equity fund for wealthy clients recorded its best monthly performance in May. The fund's strong performance was largely driven by its investment in AI startup Anthropic. The Destiny Tech100 Fund (DXYZ) provides liquid access for non-qualified investors to invest in major private tech firms like SpaceX and Anthropic. AI startup Anthropic has confidentially filed with the SEC to go public through an initial public offering.
On July 2, Leverage Shares launched the 2x Long SKHX and 1x Short SKHZ ETFs for SK Hynix. On July 6, hedge fund Situational Awareness joined UK investor Baillie Gifford in backing the US IPO of South Korean memory maker SK Hynix. On July 7, Corgi announced plans to list a 2x Long SK Hynix ETF on July 13, tracking double the daily performance of the chipmaker. The new ETF will have an expense ratio of 0.50%, among the lowest for single-stock leveraged ETFs.
Meta's stock price surged following reports of a new cloud computing business unit for external customers. The company is investing approximately $9 billion to build its first large-scale Canadian data center in Alberta with a 1 gigawatt capacity. Additionally, Meta plans to launch a new AI chip in September, aiming to double its computing capacity to further support AI technologies.
On July 2, Securitize, a crypto firm specializing in asset tokenization, went public and saw its stock rise by 3% on its debut. The company raised $400 million following its merger with a special-purpose acquisition vehicle. On July 4, Securitize tokenized $295 million in stock on the Solana blockchain at the time of its IPO. However, on July 7, BlackRock-backed Securitize saw its share price drop by 40% following its public market debut.
